Ghana has made remarkable progress in democratic governance over the years. While the state has made improvement in relative democratic development and political stability, emerging security threats threaten the national peace, stable and democratic development of the state. This study sought to unravel the emerging security threats in Ghana which will enable and help the appropriate authorities in policy and decision making. Information from reports, website, textbooks, journals and other important documents was used. The study extablished that, emerging security threats such as chieftaincy, farmer-herder conflict, succession agitations, drug trafficking, electoral violence, vigilantism, terrorism, extremism, environmental security, kidnappings, among others have intensified the security alarms in the country. These emerging security threats undermine the stable and democratic development of the state. The study therefore recommended that: the government of Ghana must increase and enhance the number of check points in the country. The government of Ghana must also recruit more border patrol officers especially in the Ghana Immigration Service to patrol and secure the country’s borders and man all porous unapproved routes in the country. Moreover, the government of Ghana must provide appropriate weapons, equipment, tools and technology that will facilitate border management and increase intelligence sharing among appropriate security agencies in the country.
ABSTRACT
Ghana has made remarkable progress in democratic governance over the years. While the state has made improvement in relative democratic development and political stability, emerging security threats threaten the national peace, stable and democratic development of the state. This study sought to unravel the emerging security threats in Ghana which will enable and help the appropriate authorities in policy and decision making. Information from reports, website, textbooks, journals and other important documents was used. The study extablished that, emerging security threats such as chieftaincy, farmer-herder conflict, succession agitations, drug trafficking, electoral violence, vigilantism, terrorism, extremism, environmental security, kidnappings, among others have intensified the security alarms in the country. These emerging security threats undermine the stable and democratic development of the state. The study therefore recommended that: the government of Ghana must increase and enhance the number of check points in the country. The government of Ghana must also recruit more border patrol officers especially in the Ghana Immigration Service to patrol and secure the country’s borders and man all porous unapproved routes in the country. Moreover, the government of Ghana must provide appropriate weapons, equipment, tools and technology that will facilitate border management and increase intelligence sharing among appropriate security agencies in the country.
1. Introduction
Security is essential for a stable democracy and a successful national development. Security challenges are common in both developed and developing countries. Ghana is seen as a beacon of peace as compared to many states in Africa. Nonetheless, no state in the world is immune to security threats. The security system in Ghana faces several challenges such as students agitations, cyber fraud, ethnic conflicts, drug trafficking, murder, chieftaincy disputes, political vigilantism, and crimes which is triggered by uneven distribution of state resources, poverty, weak state institutions, and unemployment. This study highlights and examines the emerging security threats in Ghana to raise the security awareness of the state to help prevent and enhance the peaceful and stable democratic development of the state.
2. The Concept of Security
There is no precise definition for concept of security. Many scholars have described security as an essentially contested concept (Baldwin, 1997). Security in the traditional sense is defined as the removal of external threat by strengthening the military capabilities of the state (Addae et al, 2020). Scholarly writings have constantly been limited to military statecraft in the world war era. When circumstances in the world change, the accepted meanings of some terms can become inadequate, or even confusing, if they keep their traditional meaning. In such cases, the effort of applying these old definitions to the changed character of the world shows their limitations. The term security seems to be such a case (Malec, 2003). In similar vein, Okwori (1995) confirms that, until recently, most of the mainstream writing on security studies literally defined it in terms of state capabilities to defend its territorial integrity from threats as well as actions of potential enemies (Okwori, 1995). Recent development has called for a rethinking of the concept of security (Addae et al, 2020). Kofi Annan former UN Secretary-General argues that in the wake of these conflicts, a new understanding of the concept of security is evolving (Addae et al, 2020).
3. Brief History and Overview of Ghana’s Security System
The state of the country’s security agencies can be traced to the colonial era, when institutions were put in place by the colonists to protect and secure their economic exploitation of the country (Ibeanu & Momoh, 2008:42). The Ghanaian Army emerged from the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force which was created to consolidate and extend British colonial rule in West Africa (Ibeanu & Momoh, 2008:42). The Ghana Police Force also created in 1831(Aning, 2006:4). The objective of the police force in England at the time was to serve the British public, hence, their actions were shaped to achieve mass legitimacy in Gold Coast. The police force was to provide security for the economic exploitation of the country, with some emphasis on serving the community (Ibid).
Moreover, western forms of social control and justice administration were created to replace traditional systems molded in the institution of chieftaincy that were in charge for peace, security and order in their areas (Ibeanu & Momoh, 2008:8). Chiefs in Gold Coast were allowed to administer customary disputes and grievances under the Native Authority Ordinance in accordance with western normative traditions of law (Dzivenu, 2008:1). The court and police systems were for the self-preservation of the colonists, and to persecute people who were threat to their efforts at maximizing taxation revenues and natural resources extraction (Ibeanu & Momoh, 2008:8).
Nonetheless, Ghana has a National Security Council made up of the President, Vice- President, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense, the Interior, and Finance, as well as the service chiefs of the Armed Forces, Police Service, Prisons Service, Customs, Military Intelligence and External Intelligence (Ghana Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2020). Some of the functions of the National Security Council include; considering and taking appropriate measures to safeguard the internal and external security of Ghana, and ensuring the collection of information related to the national security of Ghana (Ghana Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2020). These institutions and mechanisms were basically sustained by the political elite of Ghana after independence to protect their interests, national unity and security (Ministry of Justice, 2005). Accordingly, the Ghana police is responsible for preserving law and order and internal security, the military for protecting the country from external aggression, whilst the Bureau of National Investigations and the Research Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are responsible for dealing with issues critical to state security (Ghana Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2020).
4. Emerging security Threats in Ghana
In Ghana, the security challenges revolve around criminal activities which comprise kidnapping, drug trafficking, armed robbery, cybercrime and others. Below are some of the emerging security threats in Ghana which needs to be addressed.
4.1 Farmer-Herder Conflict in Ghana
Farmer-herder conflict continues to threaten human security in the Ghana. In Ghana, transnational land transactions have triggered conflicts among farmers and Fulani herders or pastoralists, leading to potential loss of arable land by smallholders (Nibelli, 2019:12). Notwithstanding the advantage of customary land institutions to regulate to changing conditions, they have failed to deal absolutely with land tenure insecurity in Africa and to reconcile the multiplicity of overlapping rights and interests especially between crop producers and pastoralists. It is believed that the nature of the prevailing customary land tenure system in Ghana has aggravated land tenure insecurity experienced all over the country (Nibelli, 2019:12). This complementarity between farmers and Fulani herders has broken due to the increase in population in Africa and the continuous allocation of land and labour between crop producers and cattle herders (Nibelli, 2019:12). This broken relationship has tended to increase resource conflicts among herders and crop farmers in the country. Ghana recorded nine incidents of violent farmer-herder clashes in 2018 in the Bono, Ahafo, Ashanti, Northern and Eastern Regions resulting in injury and loss of lives, cattle, and the destruction of crops and properties (WANEP, 2019:10). Moreover, seven incidents were recorded between January to June 2019 which also ended up in the deaths of four people, killing of hundreds of cattle and destruction of farm crops and properties in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions (WANEP, 2019:10). With this emerging security threats, farmer-herder conflicts have the potential to aggravating the level of criminalities and violence in the country. Furthermore, the occurrences and experiences of farmer-herder conflicts in Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria have exposed exploitation of these conflicts by extremist, organized criminal groups and terrorists to generate violence in country (WANEP, 2019:10). This farmer-herder conflict in the country is a critical issue that requires attention in the features of growing security concerns.
4.2 Environmental Security in Ghana
Another emerging security threat in Ghana is environmental security. Environmental security is a critical challenge to and livelihoods human biodiversity. Dumping of rubbish and toxic waste by foreign vessels at high sea and disposal of plastic waste in the country are disturbing activities. Ghana created 5,700 tonnes of polyethylene terephthalate, about 70,000 plastic bottles every month (Graphic Online, 2018). Only 2% of this waste is recycled while the remaining 98% are found in the streets, drains and water bodies (Graphic Online, 2018). The consequence of this is apparent in pollution of urban areas and clogging drainage systems which enormously contribute to the occurrence of flooding in the country. There are also increasing worries among local fish farmers about depletion of sea resources owing to the actions of illegal fishing vessels and climate variabilities (Myjoyonline Report, 2016). Accordingly, fishermen harvest less 20,000 tonnes of fish a year while the historical maximum has been between 120,000 to 130,000 tonnes per year (WANEP, 2019:10). In circumstances where the yield in a particular period is less than 10 percent of the historical maximum, it suggests depletion of resources and its related consequences (WANEP, 2019:10).
Another factor of security concern is the issue of illegal mining popularly known as galamsey in Ghana. Galamsey is derived from the phrase “gather and sell” which is a local term for illegal small scale gold mining in Ghana (Owusu-Nimo et al, 2018). There are about 3 million people involved in this illegal activity including thousands of Chinese nationals (Mantey et al, 2017). These galamsey activities have depleted Ghana’s forest cover and they have caused water pollution due to the crude and unregulated nature of the mining process (Allotey, 2017). Illegal mining in Ghana do not only affect the environment but also hinders Ghana’s ability to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals of clean water and sanitation, sustainable cities and communities and climate actions respectively (WANEP, 2019:10). Although the Government of Ghana has made comparative progress in the ban on the of galamsey activities, the nonexistence of an alternative livelihood support for the young individuals who were involved in the galamsey activites is also a cause for security concern (WANEP, 2019:11). These youths who may or have lost their economic livelihoods may turn or engage in other lawless acts and criminal activities for survival.
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